The party on Friday lodged a complaint against provincial education minister Dickson Masemola and Limpopo's education department at the public protector's office on Friday for unlawfully awarding a R40-million school feeding scheme tender to expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's associates.

This followed Friday's report by the Mail and Guardian on how Malema allegedly manipulated the province's school feeding scheme contract to favour people who are close to Malema. Malema apparently handed a list of his favoured "bidders" to Masemola.

"It can never be a mere coincidence that Malema's two cousins, bodyguard, his former driver and other people with close proximity to him would all be favoured for one school nutrition tender," the DA said in a statement issued on Friday afternoon.

The public protector is expected to summon education department officials and Masemola to give evidence of how it came about that several people who happened to be close to Malema benefitted from this contract.